whistle-blower

or whis·tle blow·er

[hwis-uh l-bloh-er, wis-]

See more synonyms for whistle-blower on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person who informs on another or makes public disclosure of corruption or wrongdoing.

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Origin of whistle-blower

First recorded in 1965–70

Related formswhis·tle-blow·ing, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

spy hypocrite renegade deserter conspirator impostor turncoat informer defector blabbermouth tattler double-crosser sneak betrayer squealer source fink stoolie snitch tattletale

Examples from the Web for whistle-blower

Contemporary Examples

That tells us he may have been more than just a “whistle-blower.”
Snowden’s Beijing Benefactors?
Gordon G. Chang
January 3, 2014
The difference between a leaker and a whistle-blower is important.
Obama Is Right to Prosecute Leakers Who Are Not the Same as Whistle-Blowers
Matthew Miller
March 10, 2012
What do an Israeli soldier, a Houston whistle-blower, and a Swiss border-patrol officer have in common?
Eyal Press’s New Book Explores Moral Courage
Eric Herschthal
March 8, 2012
“I was amazed at how terrifying it would be to be a whistle-blower,” he says.
Panetta, Gates, Rumsfeld Face New Suit Over U.S. Military Rape ‘Epidemic’
Jesse Ellison
March 6, 2012

British Dictionary definitions for whistle-blower

whistle-blower

noun

informal a person who informs on someone or puts a stop to something

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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012